[ vash locks eyes with claude when he comes running, eyes briefly flickering to the wet-faced child in tow. ]

Right. I just need enough space to get my arms in-- if they're not pinned, I can get them out.

[ he spares a moment for the kid that had brought claude here in the first place, crouching to their level. his smile is soft. ]

Your friend is going to be just fine. Thank you for getting help.

[ he looks up right when claude looks his way again, claude's hands already braced on a fallen support beam. vash stands and joins him, making sure his grip is secure before nodding. ]

On three. One... two... three!

[ vash locks his knees and heaves, the rubble groaning as he and claude shift the pillar carefully out of the way. claude's appraisal was spot-on; the half-fallen structure has held. once the shaft is clear, vash drops it onto the packed dirt, and goes prone on his belly to get his head and upper torso into the clearing made in the snarled wreck. he's clearly not a man concerned for his own safety. he hadn't even hesitated.

he can see the child from here-- a little girl caked in mud and sand. ]

Are you stuck? Take my hands.